LAS VEGAS — Erik Jones surprised the field by winning the pole Friday for the opening race of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, turning a lap in 28.705 seconds and narrowly edging Joey Logano.
Jones opened the first weekend of NASCAR’s 10-race postseason by earning his second career pole in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. The 22-year-old is the youngest driver ever to win the pole at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Logano did his lap in 28.708 seconds in his Team Penske Ford to finish in the front row. Denny Hamlin was third, followed by Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick.
The Vegas race is the first of 10 playoff contests to crown a champion. Jones is in the 16-driver playoff field for the first time.
This article was originally published by Espn.com. Read the original article here.